I'm running the lastest Pro version (build 0.9b), and there's one feature I really miss right now: The ability to change the ASIO output channel. From my experience, just about every ASIO-aware application has an extra setting for this purpose.

To stay in line with Resonic clean UI, the most elegant solution I've come across is the use of a Channel offset field. For example, if I want to send audio to Main Out (channels 1/2), I set the channel offset to "0". Instead, if I wanted channels 3/4, I would set the channel offset to "2". For stereo outputs, the offset number would usually be 0 (default scenario) or any multiple of 2 (specific cases like mine).

I've got the Fireface 802 from RME. It has quite a feature set. You can take a look here.
Those guys code their own driver from the ground up, but it shouldn't matter for Resonic's code since they implement standards-compliant ASIO.

To sum it up, I have a possibility of 30 I/O channels (combining analog & digital), all of them being available as virtual software channels. Their software mixer, TotalMix FX, allows me to reroute any Software Playback output (middle row on the UI) to any Hardware Output, with independant volume controls. Since DirectSound, WASAPI and ASIO all share the same Software Playback outputs, I end up with Resonic sharing the same volume slider as DirectSound, which is something I try to avoid by all means!

Hope I didn't lose you there. Just wanted to explain my setup a bit.

Full disclaimer: I got the term "channel offset" (and feature) from JRiver Media Center, another great player.

I've been RME user since they shipped their first batch of HDSP PCI x Multiface 1 bundles and have stayed with a 2x HDSPe x Multiface 2 setup (18 channels x 2) for a long time now, so yeah, their drivers are stable as hell and always have been. They know they have a reputation for that and they realize how important it is to keep product care up and running. While I also use Korg, ESI, Focusrite, etc. they all have their driver weaknesses. I would generally avoid DirectSound, by the way. It is still part of Resonic for backwards compatibility of niche cases where it has to be used, but it goes through the Windows mixer in all cases, which is bad, in all cases.

ASIO is sometimes problematic with multiple clients, on most drivers, or at least when trying to run different output sample rates. A full soundcard release feature would also be needed at some point.

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A user interface is like a joke: if you have to explain it, it's not that good.

What I do is, for web browsing and such, let Windows use the Realtek on-board audio driver (with it's flattened 24-bit output, really more like 20-bit), and send its coaxial S/PDIF into the RME S/PDIF input. On the ADAT input I got a converter with a stable clock acting as wordclock master. That way I can selectively choose which source to sync to. Multiface II does that automatically too in this configuration, depending on whether the converter is switched on (and synching) or not. That way I get the "multimedia" low-quality sound into a separate stereo pair on the RME while keeping the pro audio side entirely untainted.

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A user interface is like a joke: if you have to explain it, it's not that good.

I just tried to plug in my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (USB) as a second Audio Interface along with the RME fireface 802 (FireWire through a dedicated PCIe adapter card). It was a mess! The audio glitched every 5 seconds.

Damn, I checked my mobo and I have a freaking S/PDIF optical out. I always got this interface disabled in the BIOS so I didn't even realize I had this kind of output. Also, I know the optical input on the RME works perfectly (SteadyClock and all that good stuff), so I think I got a win there.

Thank you so much for this advice. I'll try it tomorrow and report back.

A1RO wrote:Damn, I checked my mobo and I have a freaking S/PDIF optical out. I always got this interface disabled in the BIOS so I didn't even realize I had this kind of output. Also, I know the optical input on the RME works perfectly (SteadyClock and all that good stuff), so I think I got a win there.

Thank you so much for this advice. I'll try it tomorrow and report back.

Glad I could help! I've been recommending this for a decade, but for some reason it usually flew past everyone's perception

Some boards have an optical out, some have a coaxial out. I prefer the latter because it leaves the 8 x 48 kHz ADAT channels free for other stuff, but either one of them works. And if you don't need the ADAT port, well, there you go. Keep in mind that synching your RME to that input as master uses a low-quality clock, so if possible run everything at the same sampling rate (I use 48 kHz) - maybe set the on-board driver in the Windows panel to that too - and always prefer the RME as master if you're working with pro audio content.

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A user interface is like a joke: if you have to explain it, it's not that good.

As promised, built-in card and audio interface are optically linked, both running at 96 kHz. Realtek configured at 24 bit in windows playback devices. RME being synced to it's own internal clock (I'm not sure why, but I never had to manually sync to the external clock, even when built-in card was sending at 48 kHz). DirectSound compatibility channels are also deactivated.

After a few tests, everything seems to be running really smooth. The best way to describe this experience is as if the RME interface had finally been released from a burden that made it lag behind all the time. I'm sure quite a few pops and clicks I had before we're related to this.

Just remember that under no circumstances do you want to sync the RME to the coaxial/optical input if it's the jittery onboard card you're syncing to when you're doing Pro audio recording via ASIO. On the other hand, if you want to record the onboard sound at the best possible quality using the RME you can always sync to that.

Join our Discord for chat and talk (not just Resonic related) and beta testing; or the Resonic Users group on FB.

A user interface is like a joke: if you have to explain it, it's not that good.